Can a law make social media less 'addictive'? Politicians are about to find out
New York just passed a law on "addictive" social media feeds for children, but some researchers are questioning what that actually means.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul was clear about her opinion of social media earlier this month, speaking at a press conference to announce the signing of two new state laws designed to protect under-18-year-olds from the dangers the online world.
The apps are responsible for transforming "happy-go-lucky kids into teenagers who are depressed", she said, but according to Hochul, the legislation she signed off on would help. "Today, we save our children," Hochul said. "Young people across the nation are facing a mental health crisis fuelled by addictive social media feeds."
Starting in 2025, these new laws could force apps including TikTok and Instagram to send some children back to the earliest days of social media, before content was tailored by users' "likes" and tech giants collected data about our interests, moods, habits and more. The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act requires social media platforms and app stores seek parental consent before children under 18 use apps with "addictive feeds", a groundbreaking attempt to regulate algorithmic recommendations. The SAFE Act will even prevent apps from sending notifications to child or teenage users between midnight and 6am – practically a legal bedtime for devices – and require better age verification to avoid children slipping through undetected. The second law, the New York Child Data Protection Act, limits the information app providers collect about their users.
